Quote from Forum Archives on December 20, 2002, 11:58 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Are you prepared to receive His coming? Who? Jesus Christ, of
course. Yesterday, we looked at what Neil Anderson had to say
about our identity, who God says we are, and what Jesus Christ
did to affirm our identity.

Today, let's turn over to the Quiet Walk Devotional and
take a look at our identity in terms of another aspect -
affirmation. We all need encouragement and affirmation, don't
we? I think we need a healthy look at ourselves. We need to
recognize that each of us has elements of our character that need
to be shaped and refined, but we need to balance that with the
assurance that we are deeply loved and appreciated. It is God's
purpose and pleasure to take our lives, mold them and shape them
into conformity with Jesus Christ. That's why it's so important
to go through this Advent season looking carefully at who we are
and who He is, and to be affirmed and led by God's Word.

I praise and thank God for His ways. I also thank God for each
of you. It encourages me to have readers who remain on these
lists. I want to thank you for affirming me in that way. I want
to encourage each of you to cultivate the things that John
praises and encourages in his letter. I'm thankful that I have
such timeless examples of praise and encouragement that come from
God's Word, and the proper balance in the Word between praise and
correction. I sure need it, and I'm grateful for it.

Have a wonderful weekend as you make final preparations for the
great celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ!

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

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Q U I E T W A L K D E V O T I O N A L
by Walk Thru the Bible

December 20

3 John

John praises and encourages Gaius for his "witness of... love
before the church" (v. 6).

INSIGHT

Affirmation is a powerful force for good in the Christian life.
We all long to be affirmed for who we are and what we are doing.
We all like to hear: "Good job." In essence, that is what John
writes in his third epistle. He affirms Gaius in several areas:
for his knowledge of truth, for his application of that
knowledge, for offering hospitality to fellow Christians and to
strangers, and for helping to support traveling missionaries.
Good job, Gaius.

PRAYER
The Lord has not left us without instruction but leads us to
truth, and so we praise Him:
All Your works shall praise You, O Lord,
And Your saints shall bless You.
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations (Psalm
145:10-13).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving. Pray this confession to the
Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,"
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. . . .
You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah (Psalm
32:5, 7).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and
pray this affirmation to the Lord:
You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you
received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father"
(Romans 8:15).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
personal discipline,
Christians who are persecuted for their faith,
your activities for the day.

Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy
Spirit (Romans 15:13).

QuietWalk is published by Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, Inc.
in Atlanta, GA. If you would like to see other resources from
Walk Thru the Bible, such daily devotionals, devotional Bibles,
devotional books, videos and live, in-church seminars, please
click here:
link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.17.9321.1.293748

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=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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